Amazon’s Appstore Goes Live Too Early

It looks like someone at Amazon jumped the gun and allowed their Android Appstore to go live a few days early, if only temporarily.

German site Androidnews.de got the scoop when “just for funzies” one of their staff entered the URL http://www.amazon.com/apps into their address bar and got a glimpse of things to come.
Currently, the URL only leads to Amazon’s front page, but Androidnews.de still managed to snag a few screenshots before the page was pulled. 48 app icons and their prices could be seen along a horizontal slider, showing off a few well-known games, apps and tools, although clicking on them only took you to Amazon’s home page. Androidnews.de got the same result whether using a desktop or mobile browser.

Among some of the chief surprises were that many apps were cheaper on Amazon than on Google’s Android Market, indicating that discounts, as well as exclusives, will play a large role in how Amazon hopes to compete with Google. It was also noted that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Force Recon appeared to be an exclusive to Amazon, although, upon further investigation, it was revealed that the app is actually Glu Mobile’s version from 2009 and not an all-new title as many were hoping.

The launch of Amazon’s Appstore would appear to be imminent if it wants to be in time for the movie-themed, Android version of Angry Birds Rio, which Rovio Mobile announced would be exclusive to Amazon for the time being. We’re expecting Angry Birds Rio sometime in the next week, so the launch of Amazon’s app store could be any day now.

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Dale Culp has been writing about video games in print and on the web for the better part of the last 10 years. From the Atari 2600 to the Xbox 360 and beyond, he's covered just about everything. You'll find his work in places such as TheWeekender.com, GoLackawanna.com, Gamesylvania.com, EscapistMagazine.com and even IGN.com